


Forgotten in the Dark

by Tlover



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Role Swap AU, Varian Angst (Disney), alchemy bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:55:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28045026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tlover/pseuds/Tlover
Summary: Role Swap AU where Varian was born during the trip  his mother took to the secret library and taken in by Donella after losing Ulla. Thinking his wife and son were dead, as told by Donella, Quirin looked into adoption and adopted a boy named Hugo.
Relationships: Donella & Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo & Quirin (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo & Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Quirin & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Forgotten in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ya'll. This one actually isn't new lol I just thought I'd upload it on here because I may come back to this if I ever have the chance, and just wanted to give it a spot more accessible. So yeah here's a roleswap AU where Donella raised Varian instead, and Quirin raised Hugo.

Hugo hummed to himself quietly as he pulled some of the cabbages from the roots of the dirt. He smiled as he put more and more cabbages onto the wagon. Yes, his life was perfect. He enjoyed working on the farm; picking apples from the tree, harvesting pumpkins, and when he had the chance, baking a delicious pumpkin pie for his father and village. Yup, all was right in the world as it should be. 

Quirin, the leader of the village, and man who saved Hugo from the heartless streets of Corona, came walking by. Hugo perked up. “Hey dad.” 

Quirin smiled every time Hugo called him dad. He had adopted him fourteen years ago after his...son and wife died. He never got the chance to hear his son call him “dad” or “daddy!” He missed being in his wife’s loving arms. The pain in his heart when Ulla’s friend Donella, returned only to tell him his family had perished. These memories never disappeared, but he thought he could wipe them away with new memories. He wanted to start over. He may not have had the chance to save his child, but he still wanted one. To love, to to teach, to take care of, and to save one from the dangers of the outside world. Hugo was a miracle. 

“Hugo, you’ve done solid work in the past few weeks, why don’t you go take a break?” 

Hugo rolls the wagon full of all the cabbages he made out of the garden. “I don’t mind dad. I love working on the farm.”

Quirin softly chuckles, “Hugo, you’re a hard worker and persistent, but you’re also still a kid. And kids need to play. Take breaks and live.” He places his hand on his shoulder. “Tell you what, why don’t I give you a list of supplies you can get in the capital.”

Hugo stutters, “The-the capital?” He pushes his glasses up. “You mean where all the burglars and thieves run amok and rob the businesses, and where the royals constantly have guards outside eyeing every person.”

“Hugo, there are a lot of nice people in the capital you can talk to. And most of the thieves around here are incompetent anyway,” Quirin chuckles. “And between you and me, so are the guards.” 

Hugo anxiously laughed, “Heh, that doesn’t help!” Quirin ruffles Hugo’s hair and lets him go on his way. 

_________

Hugo walked through town humming to himself. He had never really stepped into the capital without Quirin being with him. He looked around, so far no thieves running dangerously around town. “Okay, okay. So far so good Hugo. So far no one’s tried to rob you yet. You’re good. You’re safe, heh.” For a moment, it was safe. 

“Stop thief!” 

And then that moment ended. 

A hooded thief, who didn't look much older than Hugo, ran fast, knocking everyone to the side, holding a bag that appears to have something glowing green. What on earth did that kid have? 

“Guards, stop him!” A whole army of guards were running after the thief. Hugo wanted to hide, wanted to escape the chaos. This is exactly why he wanted to avoid the chaos. He wanted to run back home to his dad. He raced across the capital, trying to find a safer way without accidentally running into the guards. He then came upon an alley. Perfect! He could hide down there until the streets were cleared, and hopefully that thief would be captured. Hugo ran down the steps, but didn’t look where he was going. 

“OW!” Hugo tripped over the stairs, knocking down someone else with him. 

“HEY, WATCH IT!” It was another boy, who was rubbing his head. He had a bag with the glowing green substance in his hand. This was the thief. 

“AH- don’t rob me please!” Hugo shielded himself. 

The boy narrowed his eyes at Hugo. When he gets up, he pushes Hugo to the side. “Out of my way! I don’t have time to waste my robbing skills on you! I got guards to out run!”

“What did you steal?” Hugo interrogated the boy. 

“None of your concern!” The thief intimidated Hugo. 

Hugo tried to stay confident, tried to be the bigger man. He didn’t want to show this thief that he was scared. “If you don’t tell me what you stole, then I’ll tell the guards I saw you!” He threatened. The corner of his lips curled upward, being a little proud of himself. The thief whirled back at him. 

“You will tattle tale on me?” Varian laughed, not taking the threat seriously at all. “What? Do you expect a reward from the King?” The thief slowly crept up into Hugo’s face. Hugo gulped. His brief moment of confidence snapped away. “Do you think you’ll be called a hero? Will your parents be proud of you?”

“Stop it!” Hugo bursted out. He had no intention of being noble. At least, he had no intentions of wanting to get hurt. 

“Listen kid, you don’t know who you’re dealing with!” Varian spoke seriously with Hugo. He really didn’t want to play. “Heck you don’t want to know who I’m dealing with! So I suggest you drag your innocent, scared behind out of this alley, and go back home where it’s safe!” 

“Varian!” A feminine distinct voice called. Judging from the thief’s chill down his spine, that name belongs to him. 

Varian lowers his head, his tone darkens, “Some of us don’t have a safe home.” Varian runs down the darker part of the alley. Hugo looks down the narrow walls he runs to. He squints his eyes, gets a better look of Varian and the tall woman standing near him. 

“You need to be more careful Varian. You almost got caught.” The woman comforted Varian. Hugo watched closely, paid attention to every move she made toward the boy. As far he could tell, she was the mother Hugo always wanted in his life. 

“Now what in the world would I have done if you didn’t bring me this elixir safe and sound.” The woman pulled the elixir out of the bag. 

Hugo raises his brows, “So that’s what that was.” He whispers to himself. The woman took the elixir and put it back in that bag. She then pulls Varian in for a hug. Did she make him steal that elixir? 

“Oh, darling.” She calmly stroked Varian’s hair. “You really are the light of my life. Always giving me what I want.” Varian had tears in his eyes, but they were not tears of joy. 

_________

Hugo dug through the drawers in Quirin’s bedroom. He tried to forget about everything that happened earlier that day. The guards, that woman, Varian. “Varian.” What a unique name, he supposed. He really was a unique figure. _Some of us don’t have a safe home._ Hugo thought constantly about it since he returned home. If he believed he had no safety in his home, then why did he embrace the woman he stole for? Hugo covered his mouth. “Unless…” Hugo’s mind entered a dark place he couldn’t believe. Varian was in a messed up situation, one with no true love like the family he had. He balled his fists which were sweaty from the nerve wracking day. Scared he might cry or faint, Hugo quickly rummaged through the drawer, trying to look for a picture. He knew Quirin kept it in here, with all the other reminders of his past. It was one Quirin buried deep down, but one Hugo looked at for hope. His eyebrows raised hopefully. He found it. “There it is.” Hugo sat, criss crossing his legs, and smiling warmly at the picture. This picture was painted before he was taken in by Quirin. Before...the accident. A nicely painted figure of a young woman holding a baby was the centerpiece. “Ulla,” Hugo whispered to himself. Quirin’s wife. And the baby she was holding was his firstborn. A son he looked like. When Ulla left with her science partner to discover a magical library, she gave birth to their child. Sadly, something dreadful happened at the Magical Library. It exploded and was destroyed. And Ulla and her baby did not make it out. Only Donella lived to tell the tale. 

_Thud! Thud!_ The knocking on the door startled Hugo. He gasps and quickly hides the picture. 

“Son,” Quirin walks over and sits down next to him. “Are you alright? What are you doing here?” 

“I-I-” Hugo rocked back and forth, playing with legs. He never tells Quirin that he looks for the picture of his deceased family. He showed him the picture, “I like to come in here and look at the picture of your son and wife.” Quirin took the picture. It had been years since he laid his eyes on it. “Your wife is really pretty.”

“You should have seen her in person,” Quirin laughed, choking back on his tears. “You know, Ulla hired a painter to paint a small portrait like this one with our son, just to send it to me. She felt I still needed to see our newborn. Gave me something to look forward to when they came home.” 

Hugo bends his knees, holding them. “I’m-I’m sorry. I would have loved to meet your son.” 

The solely lit candle shone on Quirin’s face. His sorrow is not hidden. “Well some things just weren’t meant to be.”

“Did you guys ever name him?” Hugo asked, although he started to think maybe that wasn’t the best question to ask. 

“No. Ulla never sent me anything regarding his name. In fact, she didn’t want to name him without me suggesting a name either heh. I don’t think she knew what to name him.” 

Quirin looked back at the timid Hugo then back at the picture, “What name do you think fits him? Hm. What does he look like to you?”

Hugo laughs. “Me?” Hugo studied the baby in the picture. If he could name him anything he wanted, what name belonged to him the most? He smiled, “I don’t know why but the name Varian screams loud to me.”

“Varian.” Quirin echoed. “That’s a nice name. I love it.” 

He put his arm around Hugo, who buried his head into Quirin’s chest, “I love you dad.”

“I love you too, son.” Quirin held him close. 

_________

It rained heavily outside. The room in Quirin’s house lit brightly that night. Varian stood outside it, looking at the boy he had met earlier. Looking through the window, he could feel the love and warmth through the softly lit room. He lowered his head, hurting from the lack of warmth and love he sought for. That boy was lucky. He had a father that truly loved him. Varian shook it off. He had someone to take care of him too, so there is no need to be jealous. 

“Ugh, Varian, pick up your feet! The rain is coming down harder, and I would like to get out of it!” 

Varian took one last look at the boy and his father. He looked down on the wet grassy ground beneath his feet. “Yes, Donella.” Varian walked away from this house and caught up to Donella. 

“Come my boy, we had a long day. We’ll get home and I’ll make you some warm soup.” She smiles at Varian, speaking as if she really was the mother who birthed him. Donella looked back at the house. She eyed it malevolently. She had sworn she would never return to that house, and even more so, keep Varian away from it. Yet Donella shrugs it off, not worrying about her and Varian being discovered. After all, it’s not like Quirin would ever recognize his own son. 

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, maybe I might come back to this one. Especially depends if you guys think this should continue. Cause I think it has potential. I don't know if you guys do but yeah hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
